A PIL has been moved in Delhi High Court seeking directions to the government to recruit married women law graduates into the Judge Advocate General (JAG) department of the Indian Army like similarly placed men.
The petition has contended that “at present, Judge Advocate General Department of Indian Army recruits males (married/unmarried) and females (only unmarried) for serving in the Indian Army. Due to this institutionalised discrimination, married female candidates who are law graduates are being deprived of their right to serve in JAG department of Indian Army.
“This discrimination on grounds of gender is violative of fundamental right of equality before law, right not to be discriminated on the ground of sex, equality of opportunity in matters of public employment, fundamental right to practice any profession and occupation and human rights of the women.”
Petitioner Kush Kalra, in his plea, has also sought that the eligibility conditions prohibiting the entry of married female candidates in the JAG department be declared unconstitutional.
He said that aggrieved by the “discrimination against females”, he had written a letter on September 19, 2015, to the Army requesting it to recruit married female candidates in the JAG department. However, till date he has not received any reply, the petition said.
The petition, filed through advocate Jyotika Kalra, has also alleged “uneven distribution/allocation of seats for women” in recruitment into JAG as vacancies advertised for men were 10 and only four for women.PTI.
